A rare and welcome day in my own garden

ShareThis

On Memorial Day I think just about everyone I know took the day off except me. I don't mind, though. I love my "work" and many times I have to remind myself that traveling to beautiful gardens is technically how I earn my living. It helps me feel less guilty about having so much fun as I spent this day floating down the River Walk in San Antonio. We were there taping another show for "GardenSMART" in likely the most unusual venue yet for a show on gardening.I guess if there was a downside, it would be that with so many gardening irons in the fire, I don't have time to work in my own garden. That's what I love to do most. But yesterday was one of those days -- a rare day to piddle in the yard. My wife and daughters left for a "girls' trip" for a few days, and with no one home requiring my time (except the dogs), I was free to muddle about the yard.There was so much to do, I didn't know where to begin. This is where I can see people becoming overwhelmed, ultimately throwing their hands up in disgust and retreating back to the cool indoors. Frankly, I briefly considered that option myself. Should I weed or remove fallen limbs and branches? Should I prune or edge the beds? Maybe I should amend the soil with all the compost I've been making. Speaking of compost, the gutters need cleaning and the contents would be a great addition to the pile.My head was filling with options. Ultimately, I opted to do what I really wanted to do in the first place -- pot up some new plants for my own garden and prepare a few to give to some special friends. I could spend days simply placing cuttings into pots or bumping up last year's successful starts into larger containers. Even the process of preparing the perfect growing medium is an art form to me. I love mixing up the soil with my hands, adding organic amendments such as compost and bark until it looks and smells perfect. There's a satisfaction in knowing that I am playing a small role in making more plants and helping to ensure they get off to a good start. I enjoy watering the plants or cuttings in their new homes. In the days and weeks to come, checking in on their progress is just as rewarding.The ultimate reward, though, comes a season or two later when that single cutting is now a thriving plant, well-shaped and ready for its rightful and carefully selected place in the landscape. Even if you are not a gardener, surely there is a nurturing part in you, too, for which you can relate. For gardeners, though, growing a plant from a seed or cutting is to fully exploit that part in us.It was a great day, the kind that leaves you satisfied and with a good tired feeling as you lay your head on the pillow for the night and quickly fall asleep, reflecting on your many accomplishments of the day and planning for the next.(Joe Lamp'l, host of Fresh from the Garden on the DIY Network and GardenSMART on PBS, is a Master Gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com and www.DIYnetwork.com. For more stories, visit scrippsnews.com.)